Punishment for hockey players not steep enough

Jon — here is an even better idea. Just get rid of sports and focus on education. Have you ever wondered why the MSU Sports program have the amazing student center, yet regular students have less than acceptable computer labs? Sports on campus are getting way out of hand and if they can’t generate their own revenue (ie, football) they should just be shut down and put the money to education.

Who cares what “ignorant and uninformed Michigan” fans say. The alumni and real fans of the sport know what happened and know they do not represent the entire U. Just like when this kid got beat down by one of his own football players, its an isolated incident.

1 player has left MSU and the other will most likely too. What kind of punishment would you like them to levy to people who are no longer on the team or not at the school under scholarship?

When this was written, Conboy was still enrolled.

Hey “Even better”: MSU’s athletics programs are 100% self-funded. They receive no funds from the university proper.

Jack..don’t bring facts into the discussion, you’ll mess up his argument!

Why is it that if I were to go up to someone on the street and attack them with a hockey stick, I’d be facing felonious assault charges. But these ass clowns do it, and half the people out there protect them!

At minimum, they should be prosecuted.

And, if we want better facilities, the answer isn’t to get rid of athletics. The answer is to keep the revenue generating sports (football, basketball, hockey) and get rid of the rest. That way, you won’t be funding the girl’s hop scotch team and you can use the money to build better facilities on campus.

We got next!

Tom- How come if you body check an individual as you walk down the street you would be prosecuted for assault, but if you do it during a hockey game you aren’t even given a penalty? The same for football.
There are issues of consent and intent to consider along with many others that can’t be easily glossed over with one example by either side.
I can’t think of a single hockey player who was prosecuted for an attack on the ice. Bertuzzi wasn’t prosecuted when he broke a guy’s neck despite punching him while he was unconscious.
I don’t think the actions should be defended other than to say the kid made a mistake which he has paid significantly for. I don’t see why people seem to want a pound of flesh so badly.

Jason, the answer to your last comment is easy. BECAUSE IT WAS KAMPFER. Dude already got hurt this year in the head and neck and this was in the same area. I’m pretty confident that had this been another UM player, Conboy and Tropp receive a couple of game suspensions and we all go on. Injure the guy who came back from a serious injury and now it’s criminal.

My question to Tom is, if the minimum is that they should be prosecuted, what is the maximum? Sent to Guantanamo indefinitely without trial?
Alum- So swinging a stick at an unconscious man is not criminal, but when the man is someone returning from a serious injury it becomes criminal? That seems like an odd distinction even assuming that in the moment Tropp decided to swing his stick he knew the identity of the player and his injury history.

Tim and Jason –

Since when is swinging a stick at someone’s head part of hockey? It’s not criminal to check someone, but to swing your stick at their head when they are laying on the ice surely is.

I hate UM as much as the next Spartan does, but in this instance, it looks like a couple of arrogant little pricks made a horrible decision. And although MSU has done everything they can, the Washtenaw County DA may need to step in as well.

Or maybe I’m completely wrong and the MSU team needs to fight back with sticks – they clearly can’t take on a couple of football players with just their fists. We’ve seen what happens when they don’t fight with sticks…

Tom- Never said that it was part of hockey, just that I didn’t think it was criminal. It would be criminal to check someone on the streets, which is what I wrote in response to your example.
Not that it makes me right, but the Ann Arbor Police have declined to press charges.
No charges

Sorry, it wasn’t the Ann Arbor police, it was the UofM police.

Tim,

And if the UM police are as competant as the MSU police are, the DA may need to get involved regardless of what the police say.

The team led by Ron Mason would have never had players like this…

Can you see anyone on Ron’s team acting like this? Adam Hall? Ryan Miller? Joe Goodenow? Andrew Hutchinson?

Select players with better character, and you’ll not only have less headaches but better teams.

These clowns (Tropp and Conboy) aren’t going to win anything, with egos and attitudes like this.

Youth Shoots Deer

To whomever wrote, “Youth Shoots Deer” I commend you.

You’re probably right, Tom. I’m sure this is simply incompetence as opposed to you being wrong. Nevermind that what you propose would be unprecedented, you’re right and those that do this sort of thing for a living are incompetent.

Pete,

You have remnants of a cheeseburger in your beard.